The Untold Story of Warriors
by Hawkbelly
Summary: As Hawkpaw tries to find out many secrets in ThunderClan with the help of her friend Wishingheart, she gets more that what she bargains for, finding untold stories of the past and uncovering enemies she thought she would never face. Revising.
1. Cats of the Clans

**Hello! This is my first Fanfic, so I am exited about it. If I don't update for a while, that means I am doing other stuff or didn't get the chance. This has to deal with the Warriors saga and I hope it turns out exiting for you. So, enjoy!**

These are the cats of the clans, as the title of the chapter tells you, and I thought it might make more sence if I put this up here.

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ThunderClan**

_Leader_

Firestar

_Deputy_

Wishingheart

_Medicine cat_

Jayfeather

_Warriors_

Spottedfire-Nightpaw

Squirleflight

Leafpool

Poppyfrost

Swiftpelt

Skywater-Wildpaw

Foxpelt-Hawkpaw

Runningfire-Grasspaw

Nightwhisker

Bluesayer

Lionblaze

Redsky-Treepaw

Firetooth-Leafpaw

Featherleaf

Heatherfoot-Lionpaw

_Apprentices_

Lionpaw

Leafpaw

Treepaw

Grasspaw

Nightpaw

Hawkpaw

Wildpaw

_Kits_

Graykit

Ravenkit

Ridgedkit

Blizzardkit

Purplekit

Foamkit

Drearykit

_Queens_

Honeyfern-Purplekit, Ridgedkit, and Ravenkit

Tetherfur-Foamkit and Drearykit

Whitewing-Graykit and Blizzardkit

_Elders_

Cloudtail

Sandstorm

Brightheart

Graystripe

**Windclan**

_Leader_

Onestar

_Deputy_

Fuzzyface

_Medicine cat_

Krestaleyes

_Warriors_

Scartail

Scarstorm-Fierypaw

Thornmask-Burrowpaw

Loudpelt-Birdpaw

Harespring

Dewspots-Redpaw

Leaftail

Antpelt

Emberfoot

Fieldflower-Rabbitpaw

Swifttail

_Apprentices_

Redpaw

Rabbitpaw

Fierypaw

Burrowpaw

Birdpaw

_Kits_

Sparkkit

Rawkit

Dewkit

Branchkit

Hazekit

Trottingkit

_Queens_

Willowclaw-Sparkkit, Rawkit, and Branchkit

Nightcloud-Dewkit, Hazekit, and Trottingkit

_Elders_

Gorsetail

Tornear

Whitetail

Owlwhisker

**RiverClan**

_Leader_

Mistystar

_Deputy_

Icepath

_Medicine cat_

Willowtree

_Warriors_

Bluefire

Rainfire

Mossfoot

Dawnheart

Scarletwish-Leechpaw

Wildnose

Icelegs-Morningpaw

Rainface-Currentpaw

Daydreamer-Streampaw

_Apprentices_

Morningpaw

Streampaw

Currentpaw

Leechpaw

_Kits_

Streamkit

Riverkit

Pollenkit

Blackkit

Frogkit

Yarrowkit

_Queens_

Leostripes- Streamkit

Yellowleaves- Blackkit, Pollenkit, and Yarrowkit

Beakwater- Streamkit and Frogkit

_Elders_

Mintfur

Rainstorm

Reedwhisker

**ShadowClan**

_Leader_

Russetstar

_Deputy_

Tawnypelt

_Medicine cat_

Littlecloud

_Warriors_

Runningshadow-Tigerpaw

Shadowclaw-Nightpaw

Clawstalker

Spottedshadow

Thornface-Shadowpaw

Rocktail

Kinkfur

Crowfrost

Ratscar

Hawkpath-Leopardpaw

_Apprentices_

Nightpaw

Leopardpaw

Shadowpaw

Tigerpaw

_Kits_

Needlekit

Tarkit

Thrashkit

Darkkit

Petalkit

_Queens_

Ivytail-Needlekit, Thrashkit, and Darkkit

Snowbird-Tarkit and Petalkit

_Elders_

Rowanclaw

Oakfur

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Hope that makes it more convenient for you, just incase I mention a name you don't know, which will happen alot.

Tell me if I make any mistakes in the story please!


	2. The Truth Revealed

Well, this is the second chapter, and you best be reading it!

This was inspired by many things, and I'd like to thank my brain and hands for doing all the work with me. Also I'd like to thank my readers for reading my story. THANKYOU! Hope it is interresting enough for you, and if I need improvement, please, do tell. I don't own all the books, but if you do, tell me and help me, if you can. Anyway, ENJOY!

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"This isn't fair." the she-cat said.

"But you can't change what our leader has ordered." her friend said, hoping she wouldn't try anything too regretful.

"Wildpaw, I shouldn't be punished for something I haven't even done! I was merely doing what my mentor, Foxpelt, was telling me to do." she retorted. "I thought you agreed to stay with me on this one Wildpaw!" she hissed desperately.

"Don't drag me down with you and make me feel bad, Hawkpaw. It isn't fair for you to do that..." Wildpaw said.

I know I know... I'm just in a bit of pressure, that's all. I guess I just have to deal with it later. See ya' later, Wildpaw."

"See ya'..."

Hawkpaw went back to the apprentices den to rest a while, when someone called for a meeting on the Highledge. She groaned, stretched, and then went out to find two dead cats in the middle of the clearing. Their names were Lionpaw and Heatherfoot. She was Lionpaw's mentor, Heatherfoot. One of her best friends, Lionpaw, was now dead.

"Wha-what happened?! Who did this?!" Hawkpaw yelled, desperate to find out. "Why would someone do such a thing to an apprentice? Who would be so cruel as to-"

"Hawkpaw stop it! You're making a scene. We're all just as upset as you are." Foxpelt said, softening her voice as she began again. "Listen, I know you loved him very much, but things happen, and sometimes you just need to-"

"No! This isn't just one of those things. He wouldn't be so careless as to just die! Something _must_ have happened. Does he have another Clan's sent on him?"

"No." A flame pelted tabby with black spots, known as Spottedfire, came from the shadows of the warriors den. Hawkpaw guessed he had carried him in because he wasn't close to warrior's body to know that. "But he does have..." he paused, looking uncertain, as if he wasn't sure if what he would say was ok.

"Well, go on! Tell us!" A voice came from the back of the crowd of cats. Even thought Hawkpaw was too far to see the cat, she recognized Scarstorms' voice, and wasn't all too surprised. Scarstorm was impatient most of the time, and it could get annoying sometimes.

Another cat stood up and looked a bit annoyed. "Be quiet and listen, ya' big fur ball!" Hawkpaw knew that voice anywhere. It was Bluesayer.

"Silence!" The Clan leader, Firestar, had suddenly appeared on the Highledge, his yell jolting her, making her jump. "I want to hear what Spottedfire has to say about this."

As Hawkpaw looked back to Spottedfire, she noticed he looked a bit nervous. She knew why. He was aware to all eyes staring towards him and usually got nervous at that. Hawkpaw never found out why, because she never had the chance to ask his mother. She had died from a freak accident, StarClan knows how. Some cats would say it was dogs. Others would say it was the lake that had swallowed her body into its depths. This was not RiverClan, so there was no way they could swim in that lake. _I _know_ that nether of those are true, but how _did_ she die?_

Spottedfire was beginning to talk once more, interrupting her thoughts "Well, as I was carrying him back, I had a whiff of... Of twoleg sent."

"Impossible! They were at the training ground! How could they have been near twolegs?" a cat called out.

"I bet they weren't really training. I bet they were lying when they said that!" another cat shouted. Yowls of protest were followed by this accusation.

"Enough! Spottedfire, where did you find the bodies?" Firestar was getting impatient with the ones who were yelling and making quick accusations about the problem. His tail was twitching irritablely.

"In the training area. The clearing was covered in blood, but when I got there, they were still alive. It amazed me at the sight of so much blood..." Spottedfire said in a hushed voice.

Then, Firestar stood up. "Thank you, Spottedfire." he said. Turning to address the ThunderClan cats who had out yowled earlier, he added "Does that satisfy you now, ThunderClan? I expect to hear no more of these false conclusions and what not. Carry on with what you must." And with that, the meeting was over.

As Hawkpaw was about to go to the apprentices den, she heard Spottedfire telling the whole story to a group of cats, staring in aw as he talked. Luckily when she quickly began to walk over, he had only just begun his story.

"Like I said before," Spottedfire continued, "they weren't dead when I got there. I will begin at the point when I was half way there. I found them while I was taking my apprentice, Nightpaw, out for a training session, when I stopped to ask her what she smelt. 'Blood' was her answer, and I smelt the faint trace of it as well. We were well away from it, and as we got closer, I thought I was going to drown in the stench, when I broke through the leaves and saw the two on the other end of the clearing, lying in their own wet, disgusting, smelling blood. I raced across the clearing, thinking that they were dead, but as I was about to grab the scruff of Heatherfoot's neck, she spoke. 'Don't hurt me!' she said 'I don't want to die!' I tried to calm her by saying who I was, but she was too delirious of the amount of blood she had loss. Then my apprentice set her tail on my shoulder and said 'Look, Lionpaw's alive too'. By that moment, I crouched down to hear what he said, barely able to make out the words mumbled out of his mouth. 'Spottedfire,' he began, 'there were twolegs here, playing in the sand.' As he spoke, I could hear the amount of blood in his lungs, choking him. It hurt to watch, but I had to listen to what the dying apprentice had to say. He continued to talk. 'When we got there, Heatherfoot said to stay putt in some bushes. I heard her hissing and screeching, so I looked out and saw her standing there, the look of triumph in her eyes. Later, as we were practicing combat, the twoleg came back with more. As I looked at the first one that came out, I noticed it was a kit. It was pointing at us, yelling something. Then, more came out, and one had a stick. I was scared, and Heatherfoot rushed in front of me, trying to protect me. We fought, and then the stick came down on me. I don't know what happened after that, and when I woke up, Nightpaw was standing above me.' Then he moved closer and said something else, something, he said, was for only one cat to hear. The rest must go do something helpful."

Hawkpaw was disappointed in that. _But if was privet_, she thought,_ then I mustn't interfere._

Once again, she remembered how tired she was and began to walk slowly to the apprentices den, slowly forgetting her troubled thought as she thought of her bed area and sleep.

Once again, she was interrupted, but this time, by a whisper of her name. "Hawkpaw!" a cat hissed, making her jump in surprise. She whirled around to find herself face to face with Spottedfire.

"_What?_ Cant a cat get some sleep around here?" she hissed, suddenly noticing how he winced at the comment.

"It-its important." he stuttered, whispering more quietly as he continued. "It's about what Lionpaw said, when he said no other cat should hear what he says."

Hawkpaw was suddenly happy again, wanting more info on what he said. "Well, what about it?"

"I can't say anymore until we're out of camp where no other ears can hear."

Hawkpaw was so exited. She was really eager to hear what Lionpaw has to say to her. She had already guessed it was for her.

As they walk out of camp, many eyes were staring. Lots of them were merely curious, but some were hostile.

By the time they were well away from the camp ground, she was itching to hear the news. Then Spottedfire suddenly stopped, almost making her crash into him. She nearly let out a yowl of surprise, nearly.

When he turned around, he commandingly said "Sit." Hawkpaw was infuriated by this sudden command, but she obeyed anyway, thinking it was best.

"Hawkpaw," he began. "Lionpaw told me you might need to hear this. He wants you to know that his mother, Runningleaf, came to get him and bring him to StarClan."

At first, Hawkpaw was astounded that he wanted her to know. "He-he wanted me to know that...?" she said in a hushed voice.

"Yes. He also said he always saw the way you looked at him. Hawkpaw, you meant a lot more to him than you thought." His voice kept getting quieter with every few words. "Hawkpaw, Lionpaw said he loved you."

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Well well well. What a surprize. I sure wonder what will happen next? Tell me what you think by commenting. To do that, you simply press the button that says 'reviews' and type what you want. It's that simple!

Review please!

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	3. A Way With Words

Wow wee! Here you go! A new chapter! Hope you like.

(tell me what you think)

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She was shocked when she heard that he _loved_ her. _Wow,_ she thought, _he felt the same way. I wish I had known..._

Spottedfire spoke, jutting her out of her thoughts. "Uh, Hawkpaw? I have wanted you to know this for a while now... I... now that he has... left for StarClan, I think you need to know this..." He paused, giving her time to think again. _Oh no. Is he going to say something bad that he did?_ She looked up at him; see that he was staring at her with sparkling eyes. _What is he happy about?_ "Hawkpaw, I have been needing to tell you this since a week after you were apprenticed. I need to tell you this now. Hawkpaw..." He stopped, looking into her eyes as he saw confusion in them. "Hawkpaw," he continued more strongly. "I love you too..."

At first, Hawkpaw couldn't say anything. "Wha-what?" she gasped. "Is that true?'

Spottedfire paused, unsure if she would turn him down. "I know your love has just died, but I _had_ to say something." he meowed desperately.

"Spottedfire, I'm ok with it. I never realized it though, so it was shocking to me." _How could I have missed that? _she thought. _Well, I did spend most of my free time staring at Lionpaw..._ "Ok. But for now, just keep it on the down-low, ok?" Hawkpaw saw his eyes light up it happiness, and her tail curled up in amusement.

"Ok. I promise I will. Don't worry about it."

"Hey, shouldn't we get back to camp? It's getting late."

"Yeah, good idea. I was supposed to get the body later and bring it out to burry." As they left, Hawkpaw leaned on Spottedfire's shoulder, and felt warmth and comfort all over her body.

~&~

When they got back to camp, a meeting had been called to the Highledge by Firestar.

"As you all know, Hawkpaw has been an apprentice of almost five moons now and has worked very hard on training her warrior skills."

_Oh,_ she thought. _I had forgotten about my warrior ceremony!_ Even though she had gotten in trouble that same day, Firestar didn't hold her ceremony back a day, but she did get punished for it.

"It's not my fault!" she wailed to Firestar who had been obviously annoyed with it. "Foxpelt told me to follow the ShadowClan patrol! I knew it was a bad idea, but I didn't want to argue, so I did it." She had been nervous at the time, and knew he could smell it. "Before I realized it, I had crossed the border. That was when they caught me sneaking and took it as an ambush."

"We'll just see about that. Foxpelt!" Firestar was clearly trying to find out why Foxpelt had ordered her apprentice to do it instead, and why it had to be done in the first place. Hawkpaw told Firestar that she didn't know why Foxpelt told her to do it, and Firestar was clearly suspicious.

A lovely rusty-colored cat, with a white under belly and muzzle, walked through the bracken. "Yes, Firestar? What is it?" It was Foxpelt. Amusement flickered in her eyes as she saw who else was in the leaders den. "Well, isn't this a surprise?" she said. "Hello, Hawkpaw."

At that point, Hawkpaw felt a bit uneasy with the tone in Foxpelt's voice, and Hawkpaw felt that Foxpelt knew exactly what was going on.

"Foxpelt," Firestar began. "I hear you sent Hawkpaw to follow the ShadowClan patrol, and she had crossed the border. Why was it so important? Did they do anything bad?" At that point, Firestars' neck fur began to bristle at the thought of ShadowClan invading.

"Well, I wanted to make sure that they weren't doing so. That is why I sent Hawkpaw, so I could get fresh kill. I hadn't eaten that morning, and I was very hungry, you see. But when I looked back to see if anything was wrong, I saw that Hawkpaw had already crossed the border. I wanted to warn her, but thought that the other patrol would hear me."

Firestar looked a bit unconvinced, but Foxpelt either hadn't noticed or she was just ignoring it. "Ok, I see. Hawkpaw, I will have to punish you for this."

Hawkpaw had spent the next hour picking ticks out of the all the elders' fur.

Lost in thought, Hawkpaw had missed her name being called from Firestar for her to come up and receive her warrior name.

"Hawkpaw?" Firestar called out. She then felt embarrassed and raced over to him, calling out her arrival. As Firestar stood in front of her, she felt small, like when she was a kit. "Hawkpaw," Firestar began, "do you promise to up hold the warrior code and protect you Clan, even at the cost of your life?"

Hawkpaw was suddenly shivering at the thought of her being a warrior. "I do" she said in a firm, proud voice.

"Then by the power of StarClan, I give you your warrior name. From this moment on, you shall be known as Hawkfire. StarClan honor your ability and strength."

Everyone cheered her name in approval. "Hawkfire! Hawkfire!" _Hawkfire! My new warrior name. I can't wait to talk to Wildpaw and Lionpaw..._ Then she stopped her thought. Lionpaw was dead. _Oh, right..._

Suddenly she heard a cat yell behind her. "Warrior!? You never told me! How could you?" Feeling a cuff around her ear, she whipped around to find Wildpaw standing there with happiness and humor clearly showing in her eyes.

"Oh, hi Wildpaw. Sorry about that. It must've slipped my mind."

"Nothing to be sorry about. By the way, where did you go after Spottedfire was done with his story?"

"Uh..." Remembering what had happened in the forest, she didn't want to tell it to her, so she lied. "I went to get some fresh air for awhile."

"Ok... Hey, speaking of Spottedfire, don't you wonder what Lionpaw said to him after he died?"

Hawkfire wanted to avoid that conversation at the time. "Yeah..., well, I never really got that nap of mine, and it is getting dark, so I'm gonna go do that now, ok?"

"Yeah, I'm bushed as well. It'll be a bit lonely without you there, though. I'll see you in the morning, Hawkfire."

_What? I'm goin' to sleep too,_ she thought. _Oh yeah! I'm a warrior now! I get to sleep in the warriors' den._ Trotting over to the warrior's den, she couldn't help stifle a smile. Walking in, she found a comfy spot near the back and made a nice nest by bedding down. Seconds after, she felt another cat curl up next to her. She wanted to lift her head and ask what the big deal was, but exhaustion took over, and as she drifted into sleep, she was horrified to smell Spottedfire's sent. _I hope I wake up early enough to get away so no one sees me..._

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Oh no! What on Earth will happen next? Don't worry, I know. And for any of you who think 'What about night guard duty?', you will see why in the next chapter. Chow!


	4. Warnings

Hawkfire slowly awoke, then shot her eyes wide open as she remembered what happened right before she fell asleep. She jumped out of her nest and turned around, only to find Spottedfire nest empty, and cold. Sighing with relief, Hawkfire turned toward the den entrance and found herself nose to nose with the mangy fur ball Spottedfire.

Hawkfire felt a growl rising in her throat, furious that he would even show his face to her right after the incident. "How could you?" she said in a low, harsh voice.

Spottedfire looked confused, making her more furious. "How could I what? What did I do?"

"You know exactly what. Last night, you cuddled up to me, risking our secret getting out. The very first night, you go and-"

"It's not what you think." Spottedfire interrupted. "I thought you might have been cold, since it is Leaf-bare, and it _was_ really cold last night."

Hawkfire felt bad that she accused him of something before he had a chance to tell her what it really meant. "I'm sorry. I didn't know about that"

Spottedfire looked at her sympathetically and put his tail on her shoulder to comfort her. "It's ok. I know that you didn't know, and I was prepared for you to misunderstand."

Hawkfire flinch at the last of his words. She drew away and looked at him. "We can't hide it if you don't cooperate.

"Hawkfire! Sunhigh patrol!" Wishingheart's voice sounded from outside the den.

Hawkfire walked through the den entrance, smoothing the side of Spottedfire's pelt as she went. Spottedfire purred at the comfort, and she knew he forgave her for bursting on him. "Coming! See ya', Spottedfire."

"See ya'. And good luck." Spottedfire said as he walked out after her. He went to the fresh kill pile, grabbing a mouse and trotting back to the entrance of the den, sitting down to eat.

As Hawkfire walked out of the den completely, she noticed that it had snowed in the night._ Wow, _she thought. _It really was cold last night._ Hawkfire walked over to the patrol and saw Wildpaw with Skywater, Wishingheart, and Poppyfrost. Hawkfire trotted over next to Wildpaw and stood, pelts brushing, listening to Wishinghearts instructions.

"I want to go around the ShadowClan border for now, but be careful." Wishingheart said. "ShadowClan has been crossing the border lately, and I just want to check it out. If we run into trouble, Wildpaw, you must come back and warn Firestar. Alright then, let's go everyone!" Just before they left the entrance, Wishingheart signaled for the patrol to go to the top of the hollow. As Hawkfire began to walk with patrol, Wishingheart signaled with her tail for Hawkfire to come over. "Hawkfire, you didn't sit on guard duty like you were suppose to last night, and the camp was left unguarded. Do you know how bad that could have turned out?" Her voice was soft but stern.

Hawkfire suddenly felt furious at herself for not thinking about it. "Yes, and I'm sorry, but I was exhausted last night and hadn't had a nap the whole day. I had forgotten, and I know I will be punished for it."

Amusement glittered in the deputy's eyes, and then she began to speak. "I am glad you understand that you must be punished for something you did wrong, so I will not punish you now. I will do so when we get back."

Relief filled Hawkfire as Wishingheart spoke. "Thank you."

Wishingheart then walked up to the rest of the patrol and swept them up with a twirl of her tail and headed out.

As they went on, Hawkfire began to let her thoughts drift and began to wonder when Wildpaw would get her warrior name. "Hey, Wildpaw." she whispered. "Has your mentor said anything about you getting an assessment lately?"

Wildpaw didn't speak for a second, as if she was in thought, then said, "No. Has she said anything to you?" The type of question in her voice made Hawkfire wonder if she thought that she was holding back information from her.

"No. I was just wondering if you would join me any time soon, that's all." Hawkfire suddenly began to think about Spottedfire, and began to feel fuzzy inside. "Have you noticed anything different about Spottedfire, Wildpaw?"

Wildpaw looked at her confused, then her expression cleared into understanding. "Oh, you mean because of Lionpaw's death? No, not really." Hawkfire felt relieved that no one noticed anything about her and Spottedfire.

The leafless trees that surrounded them were suddenly interesting to Hawkfire, and her gaze drifted on down to the path they were on, snow on each side of it. For a moment, she closed her eyes, imagining only her and Spottedfire walking down the path in the beginning of Leafbare as the trees were rustled by the wind, making the different colored leaves fall down on them as they walked. She sighed, blinking open her eyes. She felt unhappy all of a sudden that she was keeping secrets from her best friend. "Wildpaw, I have to tell you something. I'm not quite sure how to put it, so I'll just say it how it is. I'm in love with Spottedfire. I just need you to keep it down for now, ok?"

For a moment, Wildpaw looked as if she would burst out yowling in shock, her eyes wide. Then she calmed and began, "You are? Is that why you asked me that question earlier?"

"No, well, not at first, but I wanted to tell you because I thought I would be able to trust you."

"Well, you thought right. Don't worry. Your secret's safe with me."

Hawkfire felt relieved to have a friend as good as her to be able to trust when she needed to talk to someone about something important. "Thanks, Wildpaw. I knew I could count on you to keep my secrets."

~&~

As the patrol reached the ShadowClan border, Wishingheart stopped suddenly. "Wait here," she began, "and I'll go check first. I want to make sure there isn't anyone waiting to ambush us. Some of those ShadowClan warriors can get quite aggressive when it comes to territory and prey. In the meantime, watch my back."

As she crept out of the bushes, Hawkfire put all senses on alert and was extremely alert of every movement or sound she saw or heard. In fact, she so keen on watching her deputy that when Wildpaw started to whisper something in her ear, she jumped so high she might have touched StarClan if it weren't for the branch that had hit her head in mid-air. Upon landing and rubbing her paw on her head, she looked up and noticed that every other cat besides Wildpaw had jumped back and was staring at Hawkfire with fear in each of their trembling gazes, all directed at her. She then looked at the deputy, once slowly walking along the border and sniffing, now staring at her in surprise and interest, obvious fear and shock quickly leaving her eyes.

"What was that all about?" Skywater asked.

Hawkfire glanced quickly at Wildpaw, who shook her head, telling her that she would accept the consequences, and then began to explain what the incident implied.

After Hawkfire explained the situation at paw, Skywater replied with a soft voice. "I understand that Wildpaw is quite talkative, but you usually aren't that frightened, Hawkfire. Is their something on your mind, or is something bothering you?"

Something was bothering her, a bit, but that wasn't why she was so jumpy. "Just concentrating on Wishingheart's safety." She said truthfully. "It's important, you know, and when I concentrate on things really hard, I usually get jumpy, that's all."

Skywater looked sympathetically at her and spoke in a kind voice. "Alright, then, I'll leave it at that."

Hawkfire, guessing that the conversation was over, looked back at Wishingheart and crouched back into the bushes. She knew the reason why Skywater was so nice to her. Skywater was an older apprentice when she was apprenticed, but they made good friends during the two weeks they were together in the den, and Skywater had shown her everything in the camp and which den was which. They had had good times together, until he was made a warrior the second week, and their dens were separated. Eventually, the two friends grew apart in time because they didn't talk as much, even if they tried to. But then Lionpaw came, and she felt different about him, which took her spare time away by staring at the yellow-pelted warrior, now in the ranks of StarClan.

"Hey, Hawkfire, come on! Stop sitting there and daydreaming, and hurry up! We're leaving you!" The yell from Wishingheart made her jump, again, but not as high.

"Coming!" Hawkfire yelled back, running to the patrol. _I really must stop the daydreaming,_ she thought, _or one day, I really will get left behind!_ When she got back, she saw that everyone was waiting for her. _How embarrassing._

Wishingheart positioned herself to where she could address the patrol. "We're going to finish our patrol, since it seems that ShadowClan have stayed away today, and mark our borders extra sharp. Then we'll head back to camp and I'll report to Firestar."

~&~

When the patrol got back to camp, it seemed as though it were filled with discussion, and not the good kind. Every face looked worried, and a cat raced over to Wishingheart, obviously distressed. Hawkfire realized after closer inspection that it was Firetooth.

"Wishingheart," he exclaimed, "it's Firestar!"

Wishingheart's eyes grew very wide at the mention of his name mixed with worry around the Clan. She had a large amount of fear in her voice when she spoke. "Tell me when we get to his den." After that, she was suddenly racing across the clearing toward Firestar's den.

Next, the patrol split as fast as mice and hurried to talk to their buddies and friends among the Clan.

When Hawkfire took in the scene before her eyes, she saw Spottedfire running as fast to her as she ever saw him run. His eyes were as large as the full moon. "Hawkfire-!"

"I know," she said, interrupting him, "I can guess it." Hawkfire had already guessed what was happening. Firestar was old, so it was very likely that it would happen.

"So, you think it'll happen?" Spottedfire replied.

Before Hawkfire could reply back, someone called for a Clan meeting from the Highledge. Hawkfire recognized the voice as Wishingheart's, and Hawkfire knew what was coming.

"Cat's of the Clan," Wishingheart began, "I have grave news for you all. Although I am aware most of you know, some of you may not. It is true that Firestar..." She was fading into grief, Hawkfire could hear and see, and Hawkfire looked into Wishingheart's eyes just before she lowered her head. Hawkfire breathed out in shock and her throat closed up, while her eyes grew so wide they might have popped out. Her heart felt as though it were being squeezed so hard it would burst as her chest tightened up until it felt like she would die of the pain she saw in Wishingheart's dark, purple eyes. There was no mistaking her next words. Wishingheart began to speak, clearly not holding the grief back in her voice. "Firestar is on his last life now, and he is a strong-hearted cat, but Jayfeather has no herbs that can give him his lives back. Firestar will be joining the ranks of StarClan tonight."

Shocked gasps filled the air with yowls of pain. Some cats shouted "Why Firestar?" or "It can't be!" while others said "Why must Firestar die now?".

Then, one voice towered over the rest as a she-cat yowled "Are StarClan so cruel as to kill our leader now? Why must they torture us?" The clearing fell silent at this.

Wishingheart was clearly shocked at the accusation when she spoke. "How _could_ you blame StarClan, when they are wiser than us, Foxpelt? StarClan knows what they're doing when they take a life." After that, Wishingheart walked back into the leader's den, signaling with her tail that she wanted no more of the discussion.

After a short period of time, Wishingheart came out of the den, misery casing her face all together. She didn't bother announcing another Clan meeting, since everyone was already there. "Firestar is now with StarClan," she announced, "and I will make my trip to the moonpool tomorrow." She had clearly dreaded the words she said just then. "Until then," she continued, "I shall appoint a new deputy incase something happens. I thought long and hard during my time in the den, and have gone over every cat with careful thought. I have chosen Nightwhisker."

Nightwhisker was a black cat with long hair and dark-blue eyes. He clearly was the right choice. He was very loyal and kind hearted.

Wishingheart gave time for the shocked warrior to realize what had just happened, and for others to congratulate him in mummers, and then she spoke again. "You will have plenty of time to tell him you're happy when I'm done. For now, we must discuss the situation at paw. Firestar will be brought out by his two daughters, Squirelflight and Leafpool, so you all can sit vigil for him. Also, tomorrow is a gathering and I want all of you to all get enough rest and have time to think about all the deaths of these past few days." At that, she swept her tail, indicating that the meeting was over.

Hawkfire was about to run to Wildpaw, when she heard Foxpelt talking _very_ carefully and quietly. Hawkfire melted into the shadows of a den and listened in cautiously.

"...so I want you two to come with me while I stalk her to the moonpool, ok?" Foxpelt said. "When we get there, I'll give the signal to attack..."

Hawkfire wasn't listening after what she just heard. Her heart was pounding in her throat and her ears were beginning to throb from the blood pulsating in them. _Oh StarClan,_ she thought, _what should I do?_ Then, the answer from them couldn't have been clearer. The idea popped into her mind the second she asked for help. _Why don't I think more often? I'll just tell Wishingheart._

~&~

Hawkfire had told Wishingheart of Foxpelt's scheme the minute they had left the area near her hiding place.

"_What?!"_ Wishingheart replied. She was quiet for a minute, and then spoke again. "Hawkfire, do I mean a lot as leader to you?"

"Yes." Hawkfire answered. The question confused her, but she answered anyway.

"Then, since you know Foxpelt's sent more than anyone else, can you accompany me and Nightwhisker to the moonpool?"

"Y-Yes!" Hawkfire stammered. _Wow! I get to go with a leader to moonpool as she gets her nine lives!_

"Ok, then you may come with."

~&~

Wildpaw was looking sad as Hawkfire was leaving. "But it's just not fair you get to go on such an occasion when there isn't anything you have that's allowing you!" Wildpaw whined.

"Well, I'll tell you all about it when I come back, ok? Would that cheer you up?" Hawkfire replied.

"Yeah, I guess."

"Hawkfire, Nightwhisker, lets go!" Wishingheart sounded from the entrance of the hollow.

Hawkfire raced up to her quickly. "I'm here," she said, "and I'm ready to go now." The three headed out of camp and towards the moonpool.


End file.
